It has been presented and discussed on numerous occasions that certain molds, mildews, and/or funguses pose a health hazard to many individuals, and the issue of remediation of such organisms is a constant problem in the construction industry. In particular, certain buildings and locations within buildings lend themselves to more readily promote or facilitate the growth of funguses, molds, and/or mildews, e.g. basements, crawl spaces, etc. Further, depending upon the particular type of building, and the particular geographic area in which the building is found, these buildings may provide suitable environments for fungal and/or microbial growth. For instance, spaces that are not adequately ventilated and/or exposed to moisture can contribute to growth of mold/microbes, and in some instances in new construction, some spaces are often not ventilated until final steps in the construction, allowing mold to grow and colonize at unacceptable levels, and the mold may quickly spread to other areas within the building. Further, with the recent hurricanes in South Louisiana, the issue of mold, fungus, and mildew remediation has become of more interest to those whose homes, buildings, etc, were flooded.
Current methods to remediate these organisms typically involve an oxidizing compound such as chlorine, peroxide, etc. While these oxidizing remediation measures can be effective; by their very nature, oxidizing compounds are not persistent, and are “spent” or “consumed” in a rapid fashion, leaving the system unprotected with regard to biocidal action. While oxidizing remediation compounds are not the only means of providing for remediation, most other remediation techniques are expensive and/or structurally intrusive. In some cases, it may even be necessary to remove and replace construction materials that have been sufficiently invaded with the mold or microbe.
Therefore, as the need for remediation continues, there constantly exists a need in the art for effective means of providing remediation for buildings, articles, etc. that have such mold/microbial problems.
Quaternary ammonium compounds or “quats” for short find use in many industrial applications. Quats are loosely defined as a group of compounds generally having the formula R1R2R3R4—N+Y−, where the radicals may be the same, different, or part of a ring and Y is a counter anion. Typically, but not always, one of the radicals is a long-chain alkyl group. In most industrial applications, these quat molecules are complexed with a counter ion (anion) to provide for an “active” molecule.
The inventors hereof have discovered that the use or application of a solution comprising a quaternary ammonium compound can provide for an effective, non-oxidizing remediation tool. In some embodiments, the application of this solution can also impart to the material, article, etc., to which it is applied some flame retardant properties. In some embodiments, when the quaternary ammonium compound in the solution has its counter anion borate, as described below, the application of the solution can also impart to the one or more articles some termite repellant properties. In this embodiment, the one or more articles to which the solution is applied must obviously be susceptible to termite damage, i.e. cellulosic substrates such as wood, cotton, paper, or bagasse-based building products. Non-limiting examples of these products include ceiling tiles, wooden furniture, wallboards, etc., and the like. By repelling termites, it is meant that the termites do not feed on the quat treated cellulosic material, and in essence may resort to cannibalistic behavior for food or search for a different food source, if one is available, instead of feeding on the quat treated cellulosic material as a food-source.
Thus, in one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for remediation. The method comprises applying to one or more articles a quaternary ammonium compound having the formula:

wherein Y is selected from H2BO3−; HBO3−2; BO3−3; B4O7−2; HB4O7−; B3O5−; B5O8−2; BO2−; PO4−3, HPO4−2, H2PO4−, P2O7−4, P3O10−5, PO3−; CO3−2; HCO3−; [CO2−]nR5; and combinations thereof; P1, R2, R3 and R4 are independently-selected from i) substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups or it) substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl groups, wherein if i) or ii) is substituted, they have one or more substituent groups selected from aryl, heterocyclyl, hydroxyl, ester, benzyl, carboxyl, halo, nitro, cyano, alkoxy or oxo groups; and m is 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, depending on the selection of Y; and
wherein said one or more articles comprises at least one microbial.